Jaime Pressly

Actor

Born: 30 July 1977

Birthplace: Kinston, North Carolina

Best known as: Joy on TV's My Name is Earl

Jaime Pressly won an Emmy in 2007 for her role as Joy, the saucy ex-wife in the television comedy My Name is Earl (2005-09, starring Jason Lee). Originally from North Carolina, her southern accent and physical energy (she's a trained dancer and former model) meant Pressly was often type-cast as a dimwitted babe, in both TV shows and low-budget movies. On screen since the late 1990s, she appeared in Jerry Springer's 1998 movie Ringmaster, had a memorable role in the TV series Jack & Jill (1999-2001) and showed her talent for broad comedy in the 2001 parody Not Another Teen Movie. The success of My Name is Earl put her in the spotlight and -- playing a dimwitted babe -- she was nominated for an Emmy after her first season, and won after her second season. Her feature films since then have included Horton Hears a Who (2008, starring the voices of Jim Carrey and Steve Carell) and I Love You, Man (2009, with Jason Segel).